Serena Williams Crip Walk Dance in London Just Celebratory
Serena Williams legacy at the London 2012 Summer Games is not defined by her history-making performances. Rather, Williams is being defined (and criticized for) by a Crip Walk dance. After defeating Maria Sharapova (the fourth player she defeated that had a World No. 1 ranking during their career) by scores of 6-0 and 6-1, an elated Williams spotted her sister Venus in the stands and broke out into dance.
The dance in question is named after Crip gang members in Compton (a city southeast of Los Angeles, California) in the 1970s. For someone who accomplished one of the rarest feats in tennis (a golden slam in women’s singles and doubles play), Williams should be celebrated rather than criticized. The golden slam consists of winning titles in all four Grand Slam events – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, plus a gold medal in Summer Games play. German Steffi Graf was the only other woman to accomplish the feat in singles play.
For Williams to be the first person (and the first American) to get the slam in singles and doubles play should have been one of the headlines of London 2012. Instead, others in the media labeled her as classless and immature. When Usain Bolt celebrated after winning the 100 meter dash or Mo Farah did his patented Mobot dance after claiming his second gold, neither were criticized. In addition, Bolt celebrated his victory with three members of the Swedish women's handball team, and a video appeared online.
Such criticism is similar to what the Canadian women’s ice hockey team experienced after claiming the gold at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. After defeating the United States in an emotional gold medal game, some of the Canadian players took to the ice after the arena emptied. With beer and cigars, the players were on the ice enjoying a gold medal win after spending nearly six months at training camp, making personal sacrifices to win. The backlash included a discussion of possibly removing women’s ice hockey as a competitive sport.
Female athletes (especially Serena Williams) should not have to apologize for celebrating a victory. Her Golden Slam accomplishment at London should hold the same prestige for American sports fans as Michael Phelps becoming the all-time winningest Summer Games athlete. While Williams grew up in Compton, California, she is certainly not a gang member. Although the dance has been banned at some high school dances in California, Williams did not mean threat or harm with the dance.
Similar criticism at the London Games also came in the direction of the United States women’s soccer team. Several players engaged in a dance known as The Worm after defeating North Korea by a 1-0 tally in preliminary play. Several North Korean dancers were not happy with the display. Compared to the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team that engages in a pregame dance known as the Haka (a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand) which definitely can be seen as intimidating, the soccer players are just as maligned as Williams and the Canadian ice hockey team.
The Crip Walk dance is not political, and ardent fans know that Williams has danced at other tennis events to celebrate a win. When the United States flag fell during Williams medal ceremony, she had a chuckle about it. Luckily, no one felt the urge to criticize her for that. In a world where young women need strong role models to look up to, Williams should be seen as a positive role model. Along with her sister Venus, they were the first female African-Americans to hold an ownership stake in a NFL franchise when they became part owners of the Miami Dolphins in 2009. Serena Williams also helped to open a secondary school in Kenya, and has helped in fundraisers for breast cancer research. The backlash of London 2012 should be a wake-up call to stop criticizing her and start celebrating her. As quite possibly the greatest tennis player ever, it is time to recognize her prodigious career and her cultural impact.
